GOALKEEPER IKER CASILLAS (SPAIN)
Really is there anyone else you would want in goal ? Kept 5 clean sheets in 7 games and conceded only 2 goals throughout. Saved Cardozo's penalty and Roque Santa Cruz's shot in the Paraguay game and made a stunning stop to deny Robben in the final. Lifted the World Cup as the La Roja's captain and sealed it with a kiss when being interviewed by his girlfriend. A perfect tournament then for Iker.
RIGHT BACK SERGIO RAMOS (SPAIN)
Made bombing runs down the right flank and was almost faultless in attack and defense. One who watched football for the first time may have mistaken him for a winger. His passing, dribbling and crossing was impeccable. With an array of tricks and stepovers that helped him get past helpless defenders, he was probably more unlucky not to score than Lionel Messi.
CENTRE BACK : RYAN NELSEN (NEW ZEALAND)
Finally, someone not from Spain. Surprised to see him here ? Well don't be. Guess which team remained the only unbeaten team throughout the tournament ? If you said Spain, then you obviously did not watch the Word Cup. It was in fact The Kiwis and their captain was instrumental throughout, even keeping the mighty Italy from scoring until a dive to earn a penalty finally undid that. A rock at the back, pity the rest of team weren't all that good.
CENTRE BACK GERARD PIQUE (SPAIN)
Was it hard picking a Spanish centre back ? Not by a long shot. What was hard was choosing between Pique and Puyol, both of whom were brilliant, but Pique just edged it out. Pique was far more consistent, although he did give away a penalty, he looked cooler than his ageing counterpart, who looked tired on more than one occasion. Plus Pique has dreamy blue eyes whereas you can;t tell if Puyol has eyes with his hair. At 23, he's won it ALL, literally. Man Utd, what were you thinking ?
LEFT BACK FABIO COENTRAO (PORTUGAL)
Who ? Well, Portugal were toothless in the World Cup, having scored in only one game, the 7-0 drubbing of Korea DPR, but they suck, so that doesn't count. Fabio Coentrao though was the one gem in the squad, creating terrific chances for Hugo Almeida with silky dribbling and excellent crossing. He made the Spanish looked foolish on certain occasions in the quarters and was by far the best and most consistent left back in the cup. At 22, he has the ability the become one of the best full backs in the world.
RIGHT MIDFIELDER THOMAS MUELLER (GERMANY)
Another young one, aged 20, Thomas Mueller is quickly emerging as one of the world's best. Think I'm exaggerating ? He had 5 shots on target, and 5 goals, do the math yourself. He combined well with Podolski, Ozil and Schweinsteiger in midfield and led most of Germans brilliant attacks that left England and Argentina wondering why they starting playing football in the first place. Unselfish too, with 3 assists, giving him the Golden Boot award at the World Cup, his first World Cup too mind you.
CENTRE MIDFIELDER XAVI HERNANDEZ (SPAIN)
To the untrained football eye, Xavi might seem like an average player, all he does is pass the ball. But it's the way Xavi passes the ball that makes him special. He doesn't make mazy runs like Messi, he doesn't take shots from audacious distances like Ronaldo. But he's better than them. The entire Spain attack was spearheaded by him, making 669 passes in the process, a full 104 more passes than his closets rival. Everyone remembers Villa, but it was Xavi's cheeky backheel to Villa that set him up for the winner against Portugal. It was Xavi's corner to Puyol that was headed in. It was Xavi, Spain's best and unsung hero at the World Cup.
CENTRE MIDFIELDER WESLEY SNEIJDER (NETHERLANDS)
Wesley Sneijder has had a brilliant year, winning the treble with Inter and coming agonizingly close to winning the Holy Grail of football, and he might have won it too, had Robben's finishing been better. Sneijder plays a more attacking role than Xavi does, but his main strength is the same, his passing. He's ability to deliver razor sharp through balls (Think triangle button on the Playstation) like he did for Robben in the final make him a priceless asset, with the ability to change the balance of any game in an instance.
LEFT MIDFIELDER ANDRES INIESTA (SPAIN)
He may seem like a diminutive, unassuming midfielder, but Andres Iniesta will now go down in Spanish football history, having been the man to finally bring the World Cup to La Furia Roja. Iniesta has silky smooth ball control, and on many occasions gliding past big defenders with ease (Paraguay anyone ?) And he has a tendency to score on those big nights when it matters most. He did it against Chelsea in the very las minute of the Champions League 2 seasons ago, and he did it 4 minutes from the end of extra time, controlling Fabregas' pass with extreme ease before thumping the ball into the net with such aplomb, it almost tore the net apart, just like the Dutch hearts.
STRIKER DAVID VILLA (SPAIN)
David Villa has always been underrated. Unlike Ronaldo, Messi, Torres and Ribery, Villa hasn't been given much attention, partly due to the fact he played at Valencia, who were perennial under achievers. Well all that has changed now. Villa was on hand to carry Spain into the finals, finishing everything and anything that came his way. A brilliant goal against Honduras which was only bested by Van Bronckhurt's goal against Uruguay, a sublime lob against Chile which was done with such ease, it looked easy (It wasn't) and finally finding a way past the defensive minded Portuguese were crucial contributions. Fast, powerful, a shot packed with power and curl, almost the perfect striker. Scary to think what will happen at Barcelona when he links up with Messi and Ibrahimovic.
STRIKER DIEGO FORLAN (URUGUAY)
Arguably the most like-able guy at the World Cup (Partly due to the fact his teammate Luis Suarez was the most hated), Diego Forlan was awe inspiring in leading the once powerful Uruguayans back to the realms of success. Sure, they didn't even win a medal, but they came oh so close. Forlan was the master of the Jabulani, using the unpredictable ball to his advantage, striking from long range at every chance with deadly accuracy. Free kicks, corners, volleys and assists, he did it all. Was voted Player of the Tournament and you couldn't really argue with a player who single handedly bringing back glory to a nation who really had no right advancing so far in the tournament.
SUBSTITUTES :
GOALKEEPER VINCENT ENYEAMA (NIGERIA)
DEFENDER DIEGO LUGANO (URUGUAY)
MIDFIELDER KEISUKE HONDA (JAPAN)
MIDFIELDER LIONEL MESSI (ARGENTINA)
STRIKER LUIS SUAREZ (URUGUAY)
